2008.21 STAYCATION NO MORE

The word 'Staycation' is being thrown around a lot at the moment. People are using it to describe their alternative holiday plans, it's been used in advertising and media too. I hate this term.

Last week I did something that so many are already doing. I visited a pub. Morticia and I had gone for a drive in the country and popped into the Fox House on the way home. It was a little weird, I wasn't as relaxed as the other customers who I guess had become masters of the 'new normal'.

Last year in NQ

On the back of this we decided to have a meal in a restaurant and take advantage of the 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme where a significant discount for eating out on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday is subsidised by the government. Morticia and I ventured into Sheffield City Centre with a booking at Turtle Bay, a favourite of ours. It didn't disappoint.

We stayed out to visit a few pubs before heading home. The whole pub experience varied from establishment to establishment - some you just registered your attendance and took a vacant table, joining a socially distanced queue at the bar - some you needed the pubs app to order (not sure what that means for the less technically minded).

It was a good evening, one that we used to celebrate both our birthdays and wedding anniversary that we missed due to lockdown.

This is what a 'staycation' should mean, my last break in May was just this

Back to the term 'staycation'. I said before that I hate it. Why? I believe it's derogatory to those of us that regularly make the choice not to travel abroad. I have no problem if the word is used to describe staying at home instead of going away but it's not. It's increasingly being used to describe a holiday where you travel within your own country.

This is our holiday, it's not a consolation prize and certainly not less that any other holiday. I've seen my chosen location booked up and prices increased because of the people that can't go to Spain or France (or wherever) because of quarantine rules when they return. Whilst I'm glad that the local businesses are getting to recup some of the losses suffered from the lockdown on a selfish note I'm disappointed at the difficulty I've been finding in booking a break.

But this week I managed to book a short break to my favourite place, New Quay in West Wales. We are going during term time so hopefully the numbers will be lower.

Last year in NQ

Remember you staycationers, this is my holiday - I haven't settled, this is a place I love and visited regularly for many years. Let's respect that and stop calling a domestic holiday something that suggests it's less than a trip to Benidorm (not for me thanks).